As you may already know I am doing a professional haunted house next year. We are going to be in an inside venue that has no sprinkler system to my knowledge. I know we have to have emergency exits every 50 or 25 feet, I believe, and all doorways and rooms must be at least 4 feet wide. Now thats all I know. I don't know about fireproofing, emergency lights, what we can cover the top of our haunt with. Is fireproofing a must?

Frightener is working closely with his Fire Marshal to insure a safe show, but he is also using some innovative approaches and workarounds to avoid a lot of the more costly aspects of what he is doing. For instance, his haunt is made up of four separate buildings, each less than 1000 sq ft and separated with open air sections. If your Fire Marshal wants to work with you, there are solutions to almost any challenge, just so long as you always adopt a "Safety First" attitude and stance.

Is there a way to get around using fireproofing in your paint? That stuff is expensive. If there isn't how much do you have to add to Speedcoat interior flat paint?

That sounds like an Allen or Greg question, but, basically, there are many ways to get fire retardant onto your stuff, whether mixed into the paint, or added afterwards. What was the particular application or concern that you had in mind? Coating wall panels? Props?

Well after months of trying I do not think I'm going to be going pro for 2013. No vacant buildings available and getting an industrial building is not in the cards. For the next few years I am going to have my haunt at my house, but do it at a professional level. My goal is to get awards for my haunt and then move it. Anyone know if Haunt X is still doing home haunt awards?

Be careful... Just because your haunt is at your home doesn't mean that all the rules apply of a pro haunt. We we're shut down this year... Plus, it is the wrong use group of residential zoning. Just a friendly warning.

Something that has saved lots of money for people has been (my signature idea) where even an indoor haunt is blocks of 1000 SF or smaller with 12 foot to 20 foot wide open scenes in between these units. The vision of fire fighter access is more obvious and actually having exits every 50 foot is possible as it leads to an even though themed, a non clostrophopic area of egress.

Most haunts end up being big blocks of 4,000 or 5,000 SF with central corridors that are 6 to 8 feet wide and give more of a secret passage kind of feel and authorities imagine trying to have 6 big guys fighting equipment and possible stretchers in a corridor where everyone has left crap stored as something bad.

The big open areas become places where big outdoor type scenes are done or tremendous interior facades with the ability to be far enough back to enjoy how cool they are. Yet emergency officials perspective is they can imagine knocking this and that down to get to something if they had to.

End result is you can get waivers for non sprinkled buildings and just have a fire detection system.

The other thing that has happened in the real world, instead of fighting city halls or trying to educate anyone is that triangular grids are now on 8 foot centers instead of 4 foot centers. Lots more props and actors and still the lack of being able to tell where you are in a floor plan.

No worrying, bitching or having to jump through hoops anywhere, quoting things that make sense as you have read the codes and given each subject a little credence instead of it has been done wrong for the last 30 years, come on guys, let us put on our show.

Even though these areas are themed and might be outdoor scenes or streets or even have cars in them, it is easily pointed out that this is part of the entry and exit path to the more confined 1000 SF blocks of walls. If there was a fire, they wold either fall or be knocked down by force and still not touch the other 1000 SF block. Thus it is confined to one area not having to somehow deal with 20,000 SF of possible chaos. Plus you just cut down the overall expense of how many walls you need in about 2/3rds. Save money by design. Still theme things out to the hilt and not even have central corridors. Then there are obvious non blocked paths on both sides that it becomes a ladder kind of look to the path for emergency. Inside the latter rungs can be anything, mazes, rooms, sheds, triangular grid even old style. This allows sometimes getting away with having celings in some areas as well. No reason to be open for a sprinkler system if there is never going to be one.

The big issue comes down to zoning, who ownes the building and whether they really own it or if a bank is really the owner and just wants to cover their ass with regulations and insurance reqirements.

Not sure why I gave out my big secrets but there it is.

Another fabulous post from the U.S.Department of Wild Imaginings, now in spectaclar stereo, sponsored by the Adhesives and Sealants Council, suggesting ways to stick things together since the 1800s. Not fabulous in a gay way. Your results may vary. Illinois residents add 8% sales tax. These posts have been made by professional post makers, do not try this type of posting on your own without extensive training, lovely assistants and a trusty clown horn.